


it's brighter now

by patrickbrewer



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Piano, Song writing, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 12:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21074915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patrickbrewer/pseuds/patrickbrewer
Summary: In a tiny storage room in the back of the town hall there is an old, slightly out of tune piano.





	it's brighter now

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue prompt: "You don't need to know."
> 
> title from daylight by taylor swift

In the tiny storage room in the back of the town hall there is an old, slightly out of tune piano. 

Mrs. Rose showed it to Patrick just a couple weeks ago, saying, “In case you would like to conjure up another stunning rendition for your matrimony to David. We are both intimately aware of his fondness for your reposeful voice.”

He hadn’t been expecting it, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless, spending what little free time he had in the cramped space. He loved the feel of the keys against his fingers, the way he could close his eyes and move with the notes, as if they surrounded and guided him in the right direction. 

He still remembers the Christmas his parents gave him a keyboard, how he spent hours upon hours in his room, learning song after song, until he could barely keep his eyes open or his parents gently asked him to set it aside for the night. He loved playing guitar, but piano was different, softer and gentler. That keyboard lasted him through high school and college, even into adulthood. 

It wasn’t until Rachel asked him to play that he suddenly felt himself avoiding it altogether, not even allowing himself to glance at it when he walked by. It felt poisoned after that night, like each press of the keys coated it in a thick, dishonest sludge. 

When he left her behind, he left it behind with her. 

He wonders now, as the chords fade out and he leans back against the wall, if she still has it, or if she threw it out as soon as he disappeared. He wonders if he should get another one for his and David’s house, if David would want him to play for him. 

Absently, his fingers move across the keys, slowly tapping out a tune. He’s only written a few of his own pieces, and he’s never played them for anyone before, but maybe this is a good opportunity. Maybe he should show David that he brings this out of him, soft melodies spread from his chest to the tips of his fingers, constant and soothing. 

He grabs a couple pieces of scrap paper and jots down notes, playing them over and over again, arranging and rearranging. He gets so lost in it that he completely loses track of time, and he bangs his funny bone against the piano when a voice interrupts the process. 

“What are you doing?”

David stands in the doorway, arms crosses and eyebrows raised in question. It’s not accusatory, but he does look a little miffed.

Patrick rubs at his elbow and picks up his phone, huffing when he sees that he’s been in here for nearly five hours. It’s almost midnight. 

“You don’t need to know,” he says jokingly, slightly panicked as he stands up and quickly shuffles his papers together to hide what he was doing, despite the fact that he’s pretty sure David can’t read music anyway. “I’m sorry. I completely lost track of time.”

“I had to interrogate my mom to figure out where you were. She did a really poor job of convincing me that you hadn’t been murdered on your walk home.”

Patrick smiles and steps around the bench, immediately circling his arms around David’s waist and pulling him close. “So you were worried about me?”

David rolls his eyes but doesn’t hesitate to smile into their kiss, gripping Patrick’s arms tightly as he leans in for a second, and a third, humming softly. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Because you really didn’t answer my question,” he says when he pulls back, slinging his arms around Patrick’s shoulders and narrowing his eyes. 

“You didn’t answer mine,” Patrick retorts, tilting his head with a grin as David glares at him. 

“Yes, I was worried about you,” he says grumpily. “Now will you tell me what you were doing in this closet playing a dusty old piano at this time of night?”

Patrick considers for a moment. He could tell David about the song, but he thinks he wants to keep it a secret. He loves the look on David’s face when he’s pleasantly surprised. 

“I used to play a lot,” he says truthfully, “Before. But I left my keyboard when I left Rachel, and I haven’t really played since. Then your mom told me about this piano, and I thought it would be nice to play again.” 

David’s eyes are warm as he takes this in, so understanding in that way they always get when Patrick talks about his past. 

Patrick loves him more than anything. 

“Well you can play all you want tomorrow, but right now you need to come home and keep me warm, because it’s windy as fuck outside and you left your window open.” 

Patrick laughs, pressing a kiss to his cheek and gently pushing him out the door. He shuts it behind him, locking it with the key Moira gave him, and as they walk toward the exit, he intertwines their fingers. 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on twitter and tumblr @patrickbrewcr!


End file.
